Morgan's Athletes Motivate Baltimore City Youth
Roderick Wolfe
Issue date: 10/15/05 Section: Sports
Operation Potential, a newly formed organization through the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, strives to authentically reflect Morgan State University's Urban Mission. The primary focus of this organization is to have male athletes at Morgan motivate juveniles detained at the Baltimore City Juvenile Detention Center. During their visit, the athletes send a consistent message of encourgment. Temi Omotade, the Chief Recruiter for Operation Potential, a sociology major and a member of Morgan's football team explains: "In Operation Potential, we believe in the power of 'AND', it's not whether to use this strategy or that strategy, but instead to use a combination of strategies to have the biggest impact."
The group believes that hope can be fostered even in the most forsaken environments, which is why Operation Potential decided to volunteer at the juvenile detention center. Some of the Morgan State men visit several times a week, where they send out the message that Morgan State University cares. During one visit, Temi Omotade remembers one of the young men sitting outside the circle, appearing uninterested and as the informal discussion session proceeded, the young man inched into the circle. As Omotade describes it, the young man just "took over" the circle. He let the other kids know that they all had a second chance, their records would be expunged, and that they had so much to hope for. For Carleton Marlow, an education major who visits the detention center twice a week, it is very simple; "They're being neglected. That's pretty much what it comes down to, and that's why they're in the situation that they are in now." Anyone is welcolme to join Operation Potential in their effort to motivate juveniles.
The group believes that hope can be fostered even in the most forsaken environments, which is why Operation Potential decided to volunteer at the juvenile detention center. Some of the Morgan State men visit several times a week, where they send out the message that Morgan State University cares. During one visit, Temi Omotade remembers one of the young men sitting outside the circle, appearing uninterested and as the informal discussion session proceeded, the young man inched into the circle. As Omotade describes it, the young man just "took over" the circle. He let the other kids know that they all had a second chance, their records would be expunged, and that they had so much to hope for. For Carleton Marlow, an education major who visits the detention center twice a week, it is very simple; "They're being neglected. That's pretty much what it comes down to, and that's why they're in the situation that they are in now." Anyone is welcolme to join Operation Potential in their effort to motivate juveniles.